Welcome to Urban and Community Forestry

What is an Urban Forest?

They are dynamic ecosystems that provide environmental services such as clean air and water. Trees cool cities and save energy; improve air quality; strengthen quality of place and local economies; reduce storm water runoff; improve social connections; complement smart growth; and create walkable communities.

The distribution of urban tree cover and the benefits of urban forests vary across the United States, as do the challenges of sustaining this important resource. Learn more from this new US Forest Service report.

For additional urban forestry information and networking opportunities, please visit our partners at Alliance for Community Trees who plant, sustain, and advocate for trees in America's communities.

Browse by subject

The Forest Service supports projects and research related to a diverse array of urban and community forestry issues. Follow the links below for more information, or visit our full subject page to learn about more endeavors.

One common issue facing our urban forests is the fact that trees are dying prematurely. Many are planted improperly, setting them up for failure. Many do not receive regular maintenance. And few are adequately protected during construction projects. To help remedy this issue, the Forest Service has created this Tree Owner’s Manual.

Reading this article, you will be able to define tree rings and describe how they are formed, explain the types of information that can be gathered
from tree ring records and why they are useful, and describe the science of dendrochronology and the
importance of crossdating in assigning tree ring
calendar years.
CEUs for this article apply to Certified Arborist, Utility
Specialist, Municipal Specialist, Tree/Worker Climber,
and the BCMA science category.